Paper unit dispensing device



y 9, 1940- F. G. STEINER PAPER UNIT DISPENSING DEVICE Original Filed Sept. 16, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 y F. G. STEINER 2,206,978

PAPER UNIT DISPENSING DEVICE Original Filed Sept. 16, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 fizl/erz or F'e/WK G. STE/NEE ATTOENEYJ July 9, 1940- F. G. STEINER PAPER UNIT DISPENSING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 He. 5

Original Filed Sept. 16, 1935' F/G 4 2O 80 I760 5/24 23 Patented July 9, 1940 PATENT OFFICE PAPER UNIT DISPENSING DEVICE Frank G. Steiner,

Chicago, 111.,

assignor to Steiner Sales Company, Salt Lake City, Utah,

a corporation of Utah Application September 16, 1935, Serial No. 40,794

- Renewed September 7, 1939 11 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in dispensing cabinets, particularly adapted for dispensing paper drying units.

An important feature of this invention relates 6 to a paper towel dispensing cabinet of a type in which the paper is separated from the supply by a downward pull. Cabinets of this general type are used in public washrooms, in conjunction with an interfolded type of sheet toweling. It is the object of this invention to use the downpull to separate a toweling length from a supply roll of paper to-weling. Means is provided to obtain delivery of a predetermined length of paper to' an accessible position, whereat it is separated by down-pull, thus providing not only a more economical substantially less costly form of paper drying unit, but dispensing it in a manner which does not require change of the downpull habit, engendered by the use of the aforesaid down-pull interfolded-sheet type of dispensing cabinet.

Another important object is to combine with any down-pull scheme, or with a down-pull tearoff scheme, means for preventing delivery of toweling for a predetermined time period following each manual severing operation, whereby further economies result.

Features of the invention include: a dispensing cabinet in which the paper is dispensed from the upper part of the cabinet; means for causing the paper to be delivered in an outstanding and easily accessible position for grasping and spaced from and opposed to the front of the cabinet; and utilizing the curl of the paper resultant from rolling the same, for causing the paper to assume such an outstanding and easily accessible position, means by which the paper is severed by the user by a down-pull thereon; mechanism for limiting the degree of feed of the paper toweling, to dispense only a predetermined amount at a time; means for preventing feed for a predetermined period following delivery'of a length to an accessible position; simplification of the construction by the use of a stationary rather than a moving or drivencutter or severing device; a simple, relatively inexpensive device having all the advantages desired in a device of this type; and all the details-of construction, along with the broader ideas of means inherent in the disclosure.

Objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description of the drawings forming a part of this application; and in said drawings Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section, taken on lines I--I of Figures 2 and 3, with the drying unit length positioned to be easily grasped and easily severed or separated by a down-pull;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken approximately on line 2-2 of Figure 1, with the timer positioned as before setting;

Figure 3 is a plan section, taken approximately on line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken approximately on line 44 of Figure 2, withv the timer positioned as before setting; and

Figure 5 is an elevation showingthe timer positioned as after setting, and with the feed locked against feeding action.

In the drawings, numeral I generally indicates the outer casing of a cabinet, having a front door 2 hinged at the bottom as at 3 and thus adapted to swing downwardly. The cabinet has a delivery orifice 4 adjacent its top. The lower side of this orifice is formed by the upper edge 5 of the door 2. p

A vertically disposed plate I is spaced inwardly from one side wall II of the cabinet, and is secured by suitable brackets I2 and I3 respectively to the rear wall I 4 of the cabinet and to the side wall I I. This plate defines withthe side wall I I a. narrow vertical chamber extending from front to back and substantially from top to bottom of the cabinet, and a larger chamber in which the paper supply roll and feeding and severing means are housed.

Rotatably journaled in the plate Ill and in the opposite side wall I of the cabinet is the shaft I6 of a feed roll I1 provided at intervals throughout its length with friction-feeding rings I8 of suitable material, and larger in diameter than the roll so as to project circumferentially therebeyond.

The knife is so placed in relation to the upper edge of the delivery opening and to the measuring roll that no matter how the user pulls on the paper, whether down, straight out or up, the paper assumes tear-off relation with the knife. When the edge of the knife is serrated or toothed and with this arrangement, it is impossible to pull more than the allowed amount of paper out of the cabinet. As soon as one-pulls the paper it comes in such frictional relation with the knife that the user is forced, if he Wishes more paper, to obtain it operating another'device manually, in this instance by turning a crank. The moment he starts to pull on the toweling it tears off.

The top wall of the cabinet I has a forwardly and outwardly directed down-turned portionZI,

the lower edge of which is received by a socket slots 29 respectively of the plate 50 and bracket.

35, the bracket 30 being secured to the cabinet wall 55, as best shown in Figure 3'. This roll 21 is yieldably urged toward the feed roll l? and rings l8, by springs 32 acting on the ends of the shaft 28. The paper supply roll is indicated at 35 and from the forward side of this roll the paper is passed upwardly between the roll 2'! and the feed rings I3 and against the forward side of the apron 2 and then to the position shown in full lines of Figure 1.

Above the feed presser 21 and forwardly ofthe roll I! and under the arch 23 of the guide is arranged a horizontal support generally indicated 35 composed of suitably bent and connected plates. This support is supported by hangers or brackets 39 (see Figure 2) secured to the cabinet sides ll and H5. The support 35 is detachably secured to the brackets by suitable screws 40. One of the plates of this support carries a toothed knife {H which is secured to the support by means of nuts and bolts generally indicated at 52, the severing edge of the knife is faced upwardly, and the knife is arranged in opposition to and near the delivery opening 4. roll shaft 56 is provided with an operating crank 45, and after crank-feeding of the paper to the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, the paper is pulled by the user, downwardly to the position shown in dot-and-dash lines of Figure 1 against the toothed tear-off knife, and is thus severed.

The bend portion of the part 22 of the guide apron forms the upper side of the delivery opening and the upper edge of the door forms the lower side of this delivery opening. This upper edge of the door is suitably rounded to reduce friction.

To prevent operation of the feed roll in the wrong direction (see dotted lines of Figure 1-), a

ratchet wheel 58 is provided and placed at one end of the roll and with this ratchet wheel is engaged a pawl 5|, see also Figure 3.

Another feature of the invention, in combination with the down-pull scheme, and also specifically in combination with the tear-off knife,

is the means for feeding a predetermined amount or length of to-weling and preventing feed for a predetermined time period following each feeding operation. Referring to Figures 4 and 5: A stop arm 56 is fixed to the shaft IE at a point between the plate It and the wall H of the cabinet. This arm acts as a rotative stop and is associated with a sliding stop having the form of a plate 6! suitably slidably operably guided in slot 52 of plate 0. The two steps are connected by a link 63 having a slot 64 through which passes a pinEE thus slidablyand pivotally securing the link to the stop arm 60. The otherend of the link is pivotally secured to the plate BI and in this instance is held by a split-key 81.

When the roll !1 is rotated in direction of the arrow shown in Figure 4, the arm also moves in that direction and after its lower end has passed to the right of the 'upper end of the slide stop 6i this stop is raised by means of the link, and

The feed after one complete rotation of the roll the parts assume the position shown in Figure 5 in which the plate 6| prevents further rotation of the feed roll.

Another feature of the invention, in combination with the down-pull type of dispensing device, is the use of a timer. The stop mechanism is old and I do not claim it per se. I do claim, however, to be the first to apply any kind of a time stop mechanism to a down-pull type of paper towel dispensing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the timer is adapted to gradually move the stop plate 6! .from its position shown in Figure 5 again to the position shown in Figure 4, thus preventing feed of paper for a predetermined time period following feeding. The part 6! of the stop mechanism controls the timer and both are controlled by, and in turn control, the feed roll. For this purpose, the lower end of the plate 6| is bent laterally as at 69' and is operably engaged with a grooved head 79 of the timer stem ll of a dashpot type of timer. The barrel of the timer is indicated at E2, this barrel being suitably held by a bracket 13 to the outer side of the plate ID. This type of timer is well known in the art and no further description of it seems necessary. Herein it is merely a symbol of timing means in the general combination.

The stem H when pulled to the position of Figure 5 and released moves downwardly by gravity to assume, at the end of the time period, the position shown in Figure 4, thus moving the element M from the path of the element 69 to allow another feeding-out operation of the feeding mechanism.

Operation Referring to Figures 1 and 4, and assuming the upper end of the paper to be in the position shown in Figure 4: The operator grasps the crank 45 and rotates the feed roll in direction of the arrow. The roll is given one complete rotation and as a result the paper is fed to a position shown in full lines in Figure 1. During this operation, the arms Bi] and. Si move from their positions shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5, the link acting to raise the timer stem. The position of the arm 60 and the link at the upper limit of this raising movement is shown in dot-and-dash lines in each of Figures 4 and 5.

At the end of this complete rotation of the feed roll i7 timing begins and at the end of the time period the stops again assume the position shown in Figure 4. At the end of the feed-out operation, the user pulls the towel downwardly to 1 the position of the dot-and-dash lines of Figure 1 whereupon it is severed by the knife from the remainder of the paper web.

In order to avoid friction between the slide element 61 and the arm 6!] after the parts reach the stop position (which friction would interfere with timer operation), means is provided to back-off the element 6!) to the position shown in Figures 4 and 5. To this end, a cam 15 is arranged at the end of the roll between the roll and the ratchet wheel 50 and with this cam is engaged, see Figure 1, a roller 16, journaled on an arm Tl pivoted as at 18' to the plate Ill.

Spring 19 urges the arm and roll against thecam and the cam is provided with a projection 80 which is so arranged as to engage the roller and move the roller slightly against the action of the spring. The spring then reacts against this projection to rotate the feed roll in a direction opposite to that shown by the arrow in Figure 4, to the position shown in Figure 5 wherein the arm 60 is spaced from the slide BI and the latter is free from any frictional contact with the arm 60 so that it may travel downwardly under action of the timer.

The supply roll 35 bridges and rests upon narrow friction-reducing strips, a pair 83 of which lie on the bottom 8|, and anotherpair 82 of which extend upwardly against the back wall llof the cabinet; It is noted that upward pull on the paper web tends to roll the supply toward the back wall [4 of the cabinet.

I consider the broad features of my invention to be, first-the use of a time-stop device with the down-pull type of dispenser and, second-the use of a time-stop device with a cabinet in which the paper is fed into operative relation with a stationary knife to be severed as a result of pull on the paper by the user.

I claim as my invention:

1. A paper towel dispensing apparatus comprising a cabinet having a delivery orifice, severing means having an upwardly facing severing edge adjacent and opposed to said orifice, means below said edge for feeding paper upwardly, and means by wln'ch the fed paper is guided to a position over the severing edge and then downwardly and outwardly through said orifice.

2. A paper towel dispensing apparatus comprising, a cabinet having a delivery orifice adiacent its top, a door giving access to the cabinet and forming the movable lower side of said orifice, the top side of the orifice being stationary with the cabinet, a stationary severing blade having an upwardly faced severing edge adjacent said orifice, means for feeding paper, means by which the paper is guided upwardly above the the rolls and the orifice and having an inwardly and upwardly facing severing edge spaced inwardly from the orifice, and a paper guide leading from the rolls upwardly above and spaced from the severing edge and then downwardly and forwardly to the orifice to cause the paper to be guided through the orifice.

4. A paper dispensing apparatus comprising, a

cabinet having a delivery orifice, severing means having a severing edge, means for feeding paper, means for causing the forward edge of the paper to be guided into opposition to the severing edge and then outwardly through the orifice, said orifice, upper edge of said knife and said guide means being so proportioned and related that the severing means is at all times interposed to prevent access through the orifice to the forward edge of the remaining paper.

5. In a paper dispensing apparatus which has an elongated delivery opening outwardly through which the paper is accessibly projected and which 6. A sheet material dispensing apparatus comprising, a cabinet having therein stationary severing means and an orifice through which the paper is projected after passing said severing means, the paper coming from a point which is out of alignment with the orifice and in such relation to the severing means that after passing through the orifice, tautness resultant from a pull on the paper forces the paper against the severing means to sever it.

7. A sheet material dispensing apparatus comprising, a cabinet having a delivery orifice, means over which the paper is drawn on its way to the orifice, severing means arranged intermediately of said means and the orifice, and so that tautness resultant from a pull on the paper forces the paper into engagement with said severing means to cause severing.

8. A sheet material dispensing apparatus comprising, a cabinet having a delivery orifice, a roll over which the paper passes on its way to the orifice, a severing blade arranged intermediately of the roll and the orifice, so that tautness resultant from a pull on the paper forces the paper into engagement with said severing means to cause severing.

9. A sheet material dispensing apparatus comprising, a cabinet having a delivery orifice, means over which the paper passes on its way to the orifice, stationary severing means arranged intermediately of said means and said orifice, and in a substantially invisible and inaccessible position within the cabinet, and so related to said means and said orifice, that any pull on a part of the paper which projects from the orifice acts on the paper to make it taut and cause it tobe pressed against said severing means and severed.

10. A paper dispensing cabinet having a delivery orifice, means which limits the amount of withdrawal of the paper and paper severing means within the cabinet arranged intermediately of the orifice and limit'mg means and having a severing edge which lies laterally of a straight line drawn from said limiting means to said orifice, whereby a pull to straighten the paper causes it to be forced against and be torn by said edge.

11. A cabinet having a pair of feed rolls and a discharge orifice, a guide leading from the rolls to said orifice and having a concave side facingtoward the orifice and one of the rolls, and a tearoff blade arranged within the cabinet intermedi-. ately of the said rolls and orifice pointing toward said concave side and having its tearoif edge lying laterally of a straight line passing from the rolls to the orifice.

FRANK G. STEINER. 

